Lions Host Penn/Princeton In Ivy League Weekend

Friday, October 8

New York, N.Y.

7:00 p.m.

Columbia University

Penn

Photo by: Chris Teehan

10/7/2021 4:09:00 PM | Volleyball

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Columbia Volleyball welcomes Penn (Oct. 8) and Princeton (Oct. 9) to Schiller Court at Levien Gym for a packed weekend of Ivy League action.

NEW YORK — Back on Morningside after a weekend on the road, Columbia Volleyball (4-8, 1-2 IVY) welcomes a pair of Ivy League foes to Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium as Penn (4-8, 1-2 IVY) visits Columbia on Friday, Oct. 8 (7 p.m.), followed by Princeton (9-2 3-0 IVY) making the trip on Saturday, Oct 9 (5 p.m.).

HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
vs. Penn – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Social Media (@culionsvb)
vs. Princeton – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Social Media (@culionsvb)

WEEKEND RESULTS: The Lions hit the road the previous weekend of Oct. 1-2, visiting Yale and Brown. The Lions dropped both matches, falling to Yale in straight sets, before battling Brown to four sets to finish the weekend.

Noelle Foster's 11 kills on a career-high .526 at Yale, followed up by her career-high 24 kills at Brown were the offensive highlights for the Lions. While on the assisting side, Cadence Gronski again recorded a double-double, her sixth of the season, recording 42 assists and 12 digs at Brown.

GRONSKI'S TABLE MANNERS: Gronski continues to be a strong presence setting the Lions offense, as her 453 total assists still places her first in the Ivy League. She also sits second in the league in assists per set (10.53) and that number is good enough to place her 31st in the nation.

FOSTERING BIG NUMBERS: Being fed on the outside all year, Foster has begun to really make her presence known as she has collected 164 kills while hitting a solid .229. This past weekend she was a force, finishing with 35 total kills while hitting .305 over both matches combined.

The 24 kills were a career-high and the Lion junior, who currently sits third in the league with 3.81 kills per set, has recorded at 15 kills six times this season.

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LIONS IN THE IVY LEAGUE: The strong starts by Gronski and Foster have placed them at or near the top in several categories. Gronski's been a force setting the Columbia offense, as she sits first in the league in total assists (453) and second in assists per set (10.53).

Foster's offensive numbers have been leading the Lions and, in the league, she sits third in kills per set (3.81) and fourth in total kills (129) and points per set (4.15). Soah Franklin sits ninth in blocks per set (0.89) while Vanessa Pan (4.12) sits fifth in digs per set. Isa Lamus has also cracked the Ivy League top 10, hitting .335 so far this season which places her eighth in the league, while Emily Teehan's 3.18 kills per set is good enough to place her eighth in the league.

PENN MATCHUP: All-time Penn holds the advantage on Columbia with a 44-11 record, but the Lions have taken the previous three matches as these two programs head into their 56th meeting on the court. The Lions took both meetings in 2019 and have won the previous two matches contested in Morningside.

Penn enters the weekend having won its first Ivy League match on Oct. 2 in a five-set victory over Dartmouth. Before that, the Quakers had dropped their two league openers (Princeton, Harvard) and with those two losses included, had lost their previous eight matches.

In the league, Autumn Leak holds a trio of top spots statistically as her 143 total kills, 4.44 points per set and 4.16 kills per set place her first in the league respectively. Leak also sits 36th in the nation with her 4.16 kills per set. Penn's best team numbers come on the block as they sit third in the league in total blocks (98.0) and fourth in blocks per set (2.18).

PRINCETON MATCHUP: In what will be the 57th matchup, Columbia and Princeton meet with the Tigers holding a 49-7 advantage all-time. The last five matches have gone the way of the Tigers, with Columbia's last win over Princeton coming in 2017 in a five-set victory on Morningside.

The defending Ivy League champions, having shared the title with Yale in 2019, enter the weekend having won their previous three league matches, and with those three matches included, have won the previous eight straight. The Tigers will open the weekend at Cornell, on Friday, Oct. 8.

On the national stage, Princeton's Lindsey Kelly has earned the 12th spot in assists per set, averaging 11.03 and her 142 total assists places her second in the league. Elena Montgomery (11.41 attacks per set) and Julia Schner (1.31 blocks per set) each sit first in the league in each stat category respectively.

Princeton sits first in the league as a team in six different categories, assists per set (12.74); blocks per set (2.31); hitting percentage (.247); kills per set (13.77); winning percentage (.818) and opponent hitting percentage (.163). They also sit 25th in the nation in assists per set and 31st kills per set.

VENUE POLICIES: Volleyball spectator attendance will be restricted to a limited pass list only due to University COVID protocols and in accordance with NYC Executive Order 225.

If you are Columbia fan, fully vaccinated and would like to attend a volleyball game this fall, please contact Assistant Volleyball Coach Julia Anderson at ja3445@columbia.edu to get on the Volleyball guest list. You must be on the guest list to be able to attend a volleyball game at Levien Gymnasium before the game you would like to attend. There is limited availability for each home contest.

FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Volleyball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsVB), Instagram (@culionsvb) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).